The Seoul Central District Court ruled on March 19 that eight individuals must pay compensation ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 won each.
The case stemmed from a conflict between Min and HYBE in April 2024, when HYBE accused her of attempting to separate ADOR from the company and seize management control. Following press conferences held by Min to address these allegations, several commenters posted offensive remarks online.
Min filed a lawsuit, stating “The malicious comments caused me emotional distress and damage to my reputation”, and requested compensation of 3 million won per person. The court partially accepted her claim but set the damages at a lower amount.
One of the highest fines, 100,000 won, was given for a comment stating, “Just three letters: XXX.” Other comments, such as “I want to punch XX”, “Psycho XX” and “Trash XX”, resulted in a 50,000 won fine. However, some remarks, including “Cunning X”, were not considered severe enough for compensation. The court explained, “While the expressions may be seen as insulting, they are relatively mild and not excessively malicious.”
On the other hand, Min Hee-jin is expected to win similar ongoing lawsuits against other malicious commenters. Since her removal as ADOR’s CEO in August 2024, NewJeans, previously under ADOR, has also moved toward independent activities after announcing their contract termination with the label in November 2024.
